


Hospital AU

by galeaspida



Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, Hospital
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-26
Updated: 2014-10-26
Packaged: 2018-02-22 15:35:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2512820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/galeaspida/pseuds/galeaspida
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>So, rnazerunner did a bunch of prompts, including a hospital AU. I spent an hour that I could not afford on the following...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hospital AU

Betty does not return from surgery. Perry, the night nurse, won't answer Laura's frantic questions because of some client-confidentiality act, and gets quite cross with Laura when she presses her. 

"I can't tell you these things, Laura," she says firmly before bustling off, dragging the vitals machine trolley behind her.

Betty's replacement arrives that evening.

\---

The new admit (last name 'Karnstein') is silent behind the drawn curtain. Laura thinks she's awake, too, because she is just too still. Her oxygen monitor beeps occasionally, so she has to be alive.

Laura's mind is preoccupied with what might have happened to the previous occupant of bed two.

She regrets not asking Betty for her phone number.

\---

Lafontaine (Susan, but the tech hates that name, as Laura has learned over the last week on the unit) comes in to draw blood with her cart at 7 am.

"I'm a hard stick," the other girl warns the lab tech when she moves over to the next bed. Her voice is low, and cracks like spring ice on the lake.

\---

The curtain between their beds is drawn at 8 am when the breakfast trays arrive. Laura gets sun light from the full-room window and squints past it, now able to see who the mysterious new patient is.

Betty's replacement is roughly the same size as Laura or at least as far as Laura can judge, with a lovely angular face and small mouth. The contrast between the pale skin and dark hair is startling.

"Morning, cupcake," she says huskily. Not just a morning voice, then.

"I'm Laura."

"Carmilla."

Carmilla's eyes flicker across Laura's body, spot the IV line, follow it up to the PCA pump, and then squint at the IV bag on the other side.

"Surgery? What are you doing on the medical floor?"

"Spillover from surgery - no beds, so I was put down here. My liver stopped working. You?"

Carmilla grins, and Laura can't help but feel that those canines are sharper than they should be. She nods up at the bag of blood hanging on the IV pole beside the wall.

"Anemia."

\---

The speed at which Carmilla goes through blood transfusions is staggering.

Perry comes up at noon to hang another bag of packed red blood cells. She takes Laura's vitals as well, and frowns at her blood pressure reading on the monitor.

"How are you feeling?"

"Fine." Laura says, not being entirely truthful.

Perry seems to accept this, and fusses with her sheets.

"I want you to get up and walk today. The physiotherapist will be coming at noon. And don't forget to use your incentive spirometer - your lungs aren't as clear as I'd like."

\---

The floor physio - Danny - is 6'2, athletic, and gorgeous. She has an easy smile, and kind eyes, and Laura falls for her immediately.

And then literally falls when she tries to take a step away from the bed and her stomach muscles don't work like they're supposed to.

To complete the picture of a white knight, Danny catches her. They end up in an embrace that wouldn't be out of place on a Harlequin novel and Laura is pressed into Danny's very firm stomach and oh god, this is just too embarrassing.

A muffled cough of laughter from Carmilla's bed makes Laura's face burn. She pointedly does not look in Carmilla's direction.

Danny smiles and supports Laura as she regains her footing and takes another uneasy step towards the nearby chair, leaning heavily on the strong frame beside her, red hair tickling the back of her neck.

\---

A quick Google search tells Laura that client-health care provider laws forbid relationships for one year following care.

She swears so loudly that Carmilla glances up from A Wrinkle in Time in startled surprise.

\---

Carmilla sleeps for much of the day, which Laura attributes to the anemia. For somebody with a hemoglobin half the normal amount, Carmilla doesn't seem to be physically weakened, and pads around the floor during the night with unsettling softness.

She also reads more than anyone Laura has ever met.

And for the oddest reason, Carmilla covets Laura's yellow pillow from home. Whenever Laura is taken off the floor for testing downstairs, she returns to find that her pillow has migrated to the other bed, and Carmilla is curled around it, fast asleep.

Laura can't really feel angry about the theft. She's never seen anybody visit Carmilla, and wonders whether the young woman has family at all.

\---

The surgeon comes three days later. Laura's dad has brought food from home, and they're laughing about something that happened when she was five years old and then it all goes so wrong.

"I have bad news. The tests came back and..."

And as the doctor continues on, Laura sees her father begin to cry for the third time in her life.

\---

Laura can't help it as her tears come after her dad leaves. It is impossible to keep up the bright façade she had reassured her dad with before he left. He lost her mother to the same genetic abnormality, and now she's in the same position, with the same odds.  
She thinks she's being quiet, but apparently her stifled sniffs aren't soft enough.

There is a squeak from behind the curtain, a beep of an unhappily paused IV pump, then footsteps. Carmilla hops over the bed rail with unexpected grace and nestles in beside her, tugging the blanket she brought with her over them both.

They're small and the fit is unexpectedly perfect, with just enough room on the yellow pillow for both of them.

Lips brush against her forehead. "My brave girl," Carmilla murmurs into her ear, the rough voice soothing. "I have you."

And Laura drifts off to sleep to the feeling of a hand stroking her hair, feeling protected and loved, her fears ebbing away.

\---

Lafontaine wakes Laura when it is still dark.

"Not to bother you, but Perry is coming in two minutes for vitals, and I need Carmilla to get back in her bed before Perry goes berserk about infection control."

Carmilla mutters something but rolls out and returns to her own side of the room, pausing only to sterilise and hook up her saline lock to the IV line.

\---

The second surgery nearly kills her. She'll find this out later, from the doctor who throws around words like 'hepatic congestion' and 'massive destruction' and 'cautiously optimistic', but the transplant works in the end.

Laura wakes up at 5 am, groggy and dizzy from the medication. She can't feel her legs, but she is dimly aware that this is the result of the spinal anaesthesia.

"Morning, Sunshine."

Even on drugs, Laura's brain knows that Carmilla shouldn't be in a recovery room.

"Carm..." she groans. "What are...?"

"I snuck in, if you're wondering why I'm here. The PACU nurse was fending off your father, and I slipped by." She pauses for a moment, then adding; "the stolen scrubs helped."

Blearily, Laura opens her eyes and sees Carmilla is light blue scrubs with a barcode on the chest and ID around her neck that is definitely not hers.

"Oh, you are going to be in so much trouble," she manages to slur out.

"Completely worth it, Cupcake. I figure I have ten minutes before that nurse comes back to check on you so..."

Laura feels the bed shift and the creak of plastic and then a warm weight next to her. Arms surrounded her shoulders and she sighs.

She's never been more grateful for the company.

\---

It turns out Carmilla doesn't have a phone. Or an email address.

"I'll find you." Carmilla said when Laura leaves the hospital a week later.

\---

Laura is sipping herbal tea in the second story of a local coffee shop, sitting by herself next to the window. Her dad was reluctant to let her out from under his constant observation, but eventually agrees to drive her to town, on the condition that it will only be for two hours.  
She's brought her laptop along and is scanning the Facebook feed of high school friends, and Tumblr for reaction gifs on the latest Korra episode. Taylor Swift's newest album runs through her ear buds.

It is for the latter reason that she is startled when a slim hand sets a muffin next to her hand. She rips out her ear buds in surprise, heart racing, her still-healing stomach muscles pulling painfully.

And then she is flooded with an overwhelming feeling of happiness when she sees who is there.

Carmilla, in all her pale, angular, dark-eyes-dancing glory, is wearing a crimson scarf and a leather jacket. She slides into the chair opposite and smiles at Laura.

"Miss Hollis. Fancy meeting you here."


End file.
